Device at contact spring groups, especially for electromagnetic relays



March 1956 N. G. PALMGREN ET AL 2,7393% DEVICE AT CONTACT SPRING GROUPS, ESPECIALLY FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAYS Filed June 17, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 1956 N. G. PALMGREN ET AL 2,739,209

DEVICE AT CONTACT SPRING GROUPS, ESPECIALLY FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAYS Filed June 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

IN VEN TORS N145 GUN/Wm PHL/YG'RFN [RIC 19x51. N/BERG Arro RNE r United States Patent DEVICE AT CGNTAQT SPRING GRSUPS, ESPE- CIALLY FGR ELECTRHii IAGNETEC RELAX.

Nils Gunnar Palmgren and Eric Axel Wihcrg, Stockholm, Sweden, assignors to Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application June 17, 15 53, Serial No. 362,343 Claims priority, application Sweden June 20, 1955: Claims. (Cl. 26t)-166) The present invention relates to a device at contact spring groups for electromagnetic relays and similar connecting means with toothed supporting members or bars for controlling the free end of the contact springs. Such supporting bars are normally provided with a supporting tooth for each contact spring, all the teeth lying in a row on one and the same side of the bar. The interval between the teeth is thereby chiefly determined by the interval between the springs themselves and the width of the supporting tooth. Since said width must have a certain magnitude with regard to the mechanical strength of the tooth, the interval between the teeth will be very small when the interval between the springs is very small, which entails a very limited lifting motion for the movable contact springs.

The object of the present invention is to make an increase of said lifting motion possible by a construction in which the interval between the teeth is greater. This is achieved by the teeth of the supporting member being arranged in separate rows in such a manner, that the adjacent contact springs are controlled by teeth in different rows.

The invention will be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. l is a perspective view of a contact spring group according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the working manner of a spring group in a construction according to Fig. 1 and in a known construction, respectively.

The contact spring group shown in Fig. l is supposed to be mounted on the yoke of the electromagnetic relay 11, the armature 12 of which is in the usual manner arranged to lift over a lifting bar 15 the movable springs 2, 4 in the contact spring groups 1, 2, 3, 4. The lifting bar 15, which is sideways movable, is controlled by two spring supports 16, 17, between which furthermore a r supporting bar or a supporting member 14 is rigidly mounted. All the contact springs are supported close to their fore ends by teeth on the supporting bar 14, Figs. 1 and 2, whereas only the movable springs rest against teeth on the lifting bar 15. At operation of the armature 12 the movable springs 2 and 4 are lifted towards the rigid springs 1 and 3, respectively, in a manner shown in Fig. 3.

According to the invention the teeth 21, 22, 23, 24 on the rigidly mounted supporting bar 14, Figs. 2 and 3, are arranged in two rows, one to the left, 21, 23, and one to the right, 22, 24, on the bar 14. The teeth are thereby placed in zigzag so that adjacent contact springs, for example 2 and 3, are controlled by teeth 22 and 23, respectively, in different rows. As appears in Fig. 3, which shows the lifting bar 15 in actuated position, this allows the movable spring 4 to be lifted from its support against the tooth 24 towards the lower part of the tooth 22. To

this height of lift corresponds the interval a1 marked on the drawing at the fore end of the spring.

In the construction according to Fig. 4 used up to now and having a supporting bar 44 with all the teeth in a row the corresponding height of lift is a2, when a movable spring 42 in the groups 41, 42, 43 is actuated by the lifting bar 45. If the interval b1 between the spring supports 16, 17 in Fig. 3 and the corresponding interval [)2 in Fig. 4 is, with regard to, among other causes, available space, of a determined magnitude, the interval a1 is evidently greater than (12. Consequently the height of lift is greater in the proposed construction. Furthermore, it is easier to make the teeth larger and more solid in the new construction with teeth in different rows, since a larger space is available.

We claim:

1. A multiple contact device for an electromagnetic switch means, the said device comprising a plurality of contact springs disposed in superimposed, spaced apart relationship, lifting means for lifting predetermined ones of said contact springs into contact engagement, each of said contact springs having a longitudinally elongated slot therethrough situated intermediate to the ends of the springs, said slots being aligned to form a transverse passage through the springs, and a support bar extending through said passage, said bar having two rows of laterally extending teeth, the teeth in each of said rows forming supports for alternate contact springs in the spaced apart position of the latter.

2. A contact device according to claim 1, wherein the said rows of teeth are situated on opposite sides of the support bar in longitudinal alignment with the contact springs.

3. A multiple contact device for an electromagnetic switch means, the said device comprising a plurality of contact springs disposed in superimposed, spaced apart relationship, lifting means for lifting predetermined ones of said contact springs into contact engagement, each of said contact springs having a longitudinally elongated slot therethrough situated intermediate to the ends of the springs, said slots being aligned to form a transverse passage through the springs, and a support bar extending through said passage, said bar having two rows of laterally extending teeth axially staggered and situated on opposite sides of the support bar in longitudinal alignment with the contact springs, the teeth in each of said rows forming supports for alternate contact springs in the spaced apart position of the latter.

4. A contact device according to claim 3, wherein the said rows of teeth are staggered by the longitudinal width of one tooth, the said teeth being of uniform longitudinal width.

5. A contact device according to claim 3, wherein the said slots in alternate contact springs are staggered relative to each other, each of said slots having one short edge situated within the space between the respective adjacent teeth of one row and the other edge outside the said space whereby the respective predetermined contact springs are capable of being lifted for an axial distance substantially corresponding to the axial spacing of the teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,515,914 Vigren et al July 18, 1950 

